But that's a moot point, since Thompson and Yahoo negotiated a separation agreement which explicitly allows him to keep those bonuses, while waiving claims to any other severance.

Executive-compensation expert Chris Crawford, COO of Longnecker & Associates, told Business Insider last week that it would be tough for Yahoo to claw back bonuses it had already paid. Such clawbacks are a new and contested area of employment law.

And it's smart for Yahoo to clear the decks for interim CEO Ross Levinsohn to continue the company's turnaround, rather than have the drama of a fight over the terms of Thompson's departure.